


No Way Out

by Pixeled



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:20:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24726625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixeled/pseuds/Pixeled
Summary: Everything that gave Vincent pleasure had an expiration date.
Relationships: Lucrecia Crescent/Hojo, Lucrecia Crescent/Vincent Valentine, Vincent Valentine/Veld
Kudos: 15





	No Way Out

**Author's Note:**

> Written to GEMS “w/o u”

Vincent was trudging up toward the mountain, its spine covered in snow. He was shivering in his peacoat. He’d forgotten his gloves as well, and he’d stumbled a few times, his bare hands grasping at snow. They were raw and red and he could barely flex them. All the scientists were inside the manor drinking mulled wine and eating a roasted ham, warm and happy while his heart twisted like the stem of thorny rose.

Vincent couldn’t stay there amongst all the laughter. He couldn’t stand to see Hojo and Gast rubbing Lucrecia’s belly and laughing and cheering at every movement and kick when he knew what they were going to do with that baby.

Lucrecia had asked him to feel her belly once. He declined that offer. He no longer crept into her bedroom at night. 

Now, with tears freezing down his cheeks, it wasn’t Lucrecia he was thinking of. It was Veld. He missed Veld with an intensity he couldn’t stand. He thought Lucrecia had helped him move on, but…things were complicated. She slept mostly in Hojo’s room these days. He could feel the heat of hate in Hojo’s obsidian eyes. The weight of pity in Lucrecia’s. He wanted to get away, but the assignment wasn’t over and he had no recourse. Every day was fresh torture.

So, climbing the mountain seemed like a good idea when he left. Now he was frozen and his thoughts were all jumbled with pain and he felt paralyzed.

“Vincent,” came a familiar sing song. Vincent whipped his head around.

“Lucrecia! What are you doing here? You’ll freeze.”

“You forgot your gloves and I brought you a blanket. You look frozen solid, you poor thing. What’s the matter with you, coming out here like this?” She trudged forward, pressing the leather gloves into his hand and wrapping the patchwork blanket around him. He put the gloves on silently, trying to move his fingers and wincing. 

“Lucrecia….go back to the others. Eat and be merry.”

“It wouldn’t be merry without you, silly,” Lucrecia smiled. That smile felt like a dagger in his heart. He sniffled, wiping at his eyes, trying to pretend it was the wind.

“Oh, Vincent. No one sees this side of you but me. You kill without a thought, you follow orders no matter what, but you’re a sensitive and beautiful boy,” she whispered. 

“You made your choice. Don’t pretend to care about me,” Vincent said, but there was no bite to it. “Go back…..your condition…”

“Oh, Vincent. I wish you could see the bigger picture,” she said, then turned around and made her way down. Vincent watched her for a few moments, torn between letting her go on her own and his duty to protect her. Ultimately he ran after her and walked her back to the manor. Lucrecia smiled at him, attempted to put her hand in his. He moved his hand away and looked down.

It was cruel, what she was doing, but he was used to cruel. He was used to having all of his dreams and hopes dashed.

Would it have lasted with Veld? Probably not. Everything that gave Vincent pleasure had an expiration date.  
  
But Lucrecia was wrong. Veld had seen him vulnerable and sensitive, had brushed his tears away, until it wasn’t convenient anymore. She had done just that same. 

When they made it back through the door Hojo was there to pull Lucrecia into his arms. And over her head he glared at Vincent with murderous intent. 

“What the _hell_ were you thinking, you stupid boy? Lucrecia was so worried about you she snuck out to get you. She’s pregnant. Don’t do this again. Do what you’re told to do, ShinRa dog, or you will be replaced.” 

And then Hojo whisked Lucrecia toward the fire that they’d built, sat her on a circle of pillows and carefully extricated her from her big puffy coat. Gast was feeding the fire more twigs and logs. 

Vincent pulled the blanket off, took off his gloves, and hung his coat up, checking his shoulder holster, taking his gun out to check the bullets impulsively, then put it back where it belonged, close to his body. In his daydreams, he put a hole in Gast and Hojo’s heads, escaped with Lucrecia. But they wouldn’t get very far. Maybe, just maybe, he’d kill her too. Her and her unborn baby. The thought made a shudder go through him that was absolutely not from the cold. If he did that, he’d have to kill himself too. No one would survive the horror show.

“Vincent, my boy!” 

Gast.

Vincent looked up from his hands, surprised for a moment that they weren’t bloody or stiff from the cold. They were slightly pink, but mostly pale. Normal. Human. No blood. Still, there was a tremor in them from the adrenaline.

“We still have plenty of mulled wine and food! You should eat.”

“I’ll be fine without,” Vincent said, swallowing down a lump in his throat. What would he be fine without?

Everything.

It was a long way down with no way out. 


End file.
